Transforming P&IDs Into a Living Digital Thread With P&ID Explorer

The Problem: Static P&IDs in a Dynamic World

Be honest. How many hours have you lost this year hunting for a tag inside a P&ID PDF?

For most FPSO, refinery, and plant projects, the "truth" lives in the P&IDs — but it's buried in:

• Hundreds of PDFs in a document management system
• Cryptic file names and revisions
• Tiny symbols you have to zoom into just to find one valve or loop

We decided to stop accepting that.

Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) are the backbone of every process facility. But traditionally, they have been static, difficult to navigate, and disconnected from the broader engineering ecosystem. Now, imagine P&IDs evolving into fully interactive, data‑driven assets that connect process engineering, 3D modeling, commissioning, and operations in one unified experience.

Embracing Open Standards: DEXPI Integration

A digital ecosystem is only as strong as its ability to interoperate. That's why Konnect xD aligns with the DEXPI Initiative (Data Exchange in the Process Industry) — an industry effort to standardize P&ID data exchange and move engineering from document‑centric to data‑centric workflows.

DEXPI aims to:

• Standardize intelligent P&ID data using XML
• Enable seamless exchange of engineering information
• Reduce manual rework caused by incompatible formats
• Improve accuracy across EPCs, vendors, and asset owners

This philosophy directly supports what P&ID Explorer delivers: reliable, structured, interoperable data instead of static documents.

Why it matters:

• Asset Owners can drive consistency across projects and vendors.
• EPCs and suppliers can reduce dependency on proprietary formats.
• Everyone benefits from a shared, open digital thread that reduces ambiguity and rework.

Konnect xD's approach to intelligent P&ID data is fully aligned with DEXPI's mission to standardize and liberate engineering information.

New-Generation Data Parsing and Gold Data Storage

In Konnect xD, every P&ID is parsed automatically — tags, equipment, lines, instruments, loops. Each item becomes a searchable data object. You type a tag → we highlight it directly on the drawing.

Industry studies show that:

• Engineers spend 20–30% of their time searching for information across drawings and documents.
• Up to 40% of project data is duplicated or inconsistent across systems.

Konnect xD eliminates this waste by automating identification and centralizing validated data:

• No more searching PDFs
• No more version inconsistencies
• Just reliable, traceable data everyone can trust

This is the shift from files to data — finally making P&IDs digitally meaningful.

Interactive P&ID Drawings

When you open a P&ID on the Konnect xD platform, it is instantly interactive. No more scrolling hopelessly through PDFs to find one tag.

You can instantly:

• Click any component to view its associated data
• Follow line and system connections without scrolling
• Explore relationships between equipment and systems

Teams using interactive drawings typically report:

• 30–50% faster design reviews
• Fewer late‑stage RFIs, thanks to clearer context and fewer ambiguities

Once you have seen your P&IDs as a living, connected map instead of a pile of PDFs, it is very hard to go back.

Graph View: Visualizing System Interconnections

From isolated sheets to a complete system map.

Konnect xD automatically links P&IDs as a network so you can follow a system across units or modules, see incoming and outgoing connections, and understand impacts instantly.

Graph View allows you to:

• Explore cross‑drawing relationships
• Identify dependencies
• Understand how systems influence one another
• Interact with the full network of drawings

In complex facilities, a single system may appear across 5–20 P&IDs. Graph View helps teams understand these relationships in minutes instead of hours.

3D View: Connecting P&IDs to the Asset Model

Konnect xD bridges the gap between 2D schematic data and the 3D reality of the plant. With one click, you can switch to 3D view and see where every P&ID element exists in the model.

This helps:

• Modelers verify design intent
• Commissioning teams plan physical access
• Operations teams confirm equipment locations

Spatial clashes and access issues contribute to up to 25% of rework. Linking P&ID data to 3D helps identify problems far earlier.

Real‑Time IFC Status and Progress Tracking

Konnect xD provides real-time visibility into Issued for Construction (IFC) status directly within the P&ID context, enabling:

• 10–20% reduction in rework
• Faster turnaround between design updates and construction

Built for Collaboration, Change Management, and Integration

By turning static drawings into interactive, interconnected data assets, Konnect xD's P&ID Explorer strengthens the foundations of modern project delivery:

• Collaboration: Everyone works from the same reliable data.
• Change Management: Live relationships reveal the impact of every modification.
• Integration: P&IDs naturally link with 3D models, system databases, and digital‑twin environments.

P&IDs on Konnect xD are more than drawings. They form a living digital thread connecting people, data, and decisions across the entire asset lifecycle.

And with alignment to open standards like DEXPI, that digital thread becomes future‑proof, interoperable, and scalable across the industry.